Does This Setup Sound Good???

[Playmaker]

Upgrading a comp for a friend. He's thinking of getting an Epox EP-8KHA+ with an Athlon 1800+ XP Retail and 512mb Crucial PC2100 CL2.5. Is the motherboard top of the line? He doesn't want to spend money for Abit, is this the next best? Does that 1800+ provide the best price/performance? Or should he go a step lower? Also, is the retail heatsink adequate. Finally, will that RAM run CAS2? or should he try something different?

 

[XBoxLPU]

That setup is very nice.

The Epox is a great mobo for its price and is a top of the line.

The ram should do Cas2.. my 256 2.5 DDR Crucial ram does at least.

 

[ojai00]

The heatsink that comes with the retail processor should be fine enough. If you can get the Soyo Dragon+ for cheaper, you also have that option. Both the Epox and Soyo motherboards are very good, from reading the reviews on the motherboard forum. You should stick with the XP 1800+, maybe get the 1900+ if you can afford it. 😀 Hope this helps.

 

[Playmaker]

Is an Enlight 300W that comes with the 7237 case a large enough power supply for that setup?

 

[Ionizer86]

If you want better value per dollar, the XP 1700+ can be had for $30 less than the XP 1800+ according to Sharkyextreme; $115 vs $145.

For $30, you're only getting 66 more megahertz. According to my calculator, the XP 1700+ is 7.8 cents per mhz, and the XP 1800+ is 9.5 cents per mhz. As you can see, the XP 1700+ is of better value. The XP 1600+ is 7.9 cents per mhz, so the XP 1700+ reigns as value king. Of course, Durons are even better value, with the $45 950mhz Duron coming in at 4.7 cents per mhz, even though the Duron doesn't do as well per mhz.